Rue's First Day Of School
by skogrdragon
Summary: Little Rue's first day of school is full of unending surprises and fun with her parents Katniss, and Peeta. Along with Uncle Haymitch & Aunt Effie. OC


**The** sun rose late. Mostly because the clouds covered the sky; masking the first glow of sunrise. The last glints of summer passed by and the winds of autumn cooled the air. Two figures holding hands walked through the field of vegetables. They were carrying large baskets and every once in awhile, they bent down and dug into the ground or sorted through a plant. Potatoes, squash, onions, peas. Enough to make stew for dinner. Perhaps they had a bit of venison left from the last hunting day. Past the field was a house. It overlooked the hills. A small light came from one window. The curtains moved and a small face peeked out, watching the figures in the field.

A smile and the curtains closed. Inside the room, a bed sat next to the window, a bigger one in the furthest corner. A girl of five jumped off the latter bed and pulled open a dresser drawer, picking out clothes. She put on a baby blue dress with white socks and a knit sweater. Her mother made it for her, so it was just the right size.

She skipped down the stairs with a box she took from the closet. The box had a ribbon on it. It was from Mama and Daddy. She wasn't allowed to open it until they came back for breakfast. They wouldn't be back for another fifteen minutes. There was still the eggs to fetch. She sat on her chair at the table in the kitchen and kicked back and forth. She could see them getting closer through the window above the sink. The girl was bursting with excitement. A present on the first day of school was unheard of. She pulled at the ribbon. Hoping it might make the box open. She closed her eyes. Maybe she wouldn't get so antsy if she couldn't see it. The front door opened. A large man walked in. The girl smiled when she seen him,

"Morning, Uncle Haymitch."

"Morning sweetheart," he replied, giving her a pat on the head.

He looked at the box in her hands.

"You'll love it," he said, nodding to the box.

"Really? How do you know what it is? Did Daddy tell you?" she asked, eying him with jealousy.

"Mhm," was all he answered with. He was taking plates out of a cabinet and setting them out on the table. He stirred something steaming on the stove.

The kitchen door opened. The girl jumped off her chair and circled her parents.

"Can I open it now?" She asked, forgetting to greet them first.

"Good morning to you too, darling," her mother laughed, trying to set the basket down sideways without toppling over. Holding her back with her free arm.

"Get your mom a chair, Rue. Katniss, sit down. I told you this was too much work for you," her father said, taking the basket from Katniss and putting both of them on the ground next to the door.

Rue pulled out a chair and held her mother's hand. Leading her over and motioning her to sit. Katniss sat and kissed the girl on the cheek.

"You're my sweet Rue," Katniss said, her face softening with a smile and her eyes glowing. Rue's blue eyes shone in the morning sun, just like her father's. Everytime they shone like that, they made a new flower bloom in Katniss's heart.

"Let's braid your unruly hair first shall we?" She pulled Rue close and sat her on her lap, beginning to braid her hair.

She always found herself humming the same tune as when she'd braid Prim's hair when she was little. She used to fight the humming, not wanting to hear herself. But as Rue grew older, she begged her mother to hum the tune to her. Katniss felt like she was back in her home with Prim in 12. Prim running her fingers through the dark soot that layered on the windowsill. The sun coming through the dirty window. Just her and Prim. Talking, laughing, playing. Just her and Prim…

"Katniss, think she can open her gift now?" a voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up. Haymitch and her husband were looking at her like she was deaf. She must have been dreaming for awhile.

"Yes, of course. Sorry, just thinking,"

Rue tore the ribbon off and Katniss caught it as it fluttered to the ground; tying her braid end with it and making a bow. The box was flung to the ground and a pair of white shoes were taken out. Rue gasped.

"Mama, Daddy. They are so beautiful," she touched them as though they were gold.

They both smiled.

"Uncle Haymitch, can you help me put them on?" she said, holding them out to Haymitch, who had been serving breakfast and pouring milk into glasses.

"Sure, sweetheart. Let's see now, how does this strap work?" he fumbled with unbuckling the top strap with his wrinkled hands.

"Peeta, help Haymitch with the buckle. He may be too old to get the strap undone," Katniss teased.

Peeta was handed the shoe from Haymitch's hand and tried to unbuckle the strap. It took long enough to get it untied and Rue stood with bursting excitement, her legs jiggling. She couldn't wait to get them on her feet. Peeta started unbuckling the strap to the next shoe while Haymitch sat Rue on his knee and helped her foot wiggle into it. Once she had both shoes on, she stood in front of all three adults and posed. The white shoes sparkled under her blue dress. She looked just like Prim, Katniss thought. A pain ran through her and she touched her side. Peeta's eyes went to her, concerned but only watched her closely.

"Dance a little for us, darling," Katniss said, swirling her finger around.

Rue curtsied and began to twirl around on the wooden floor. Her shoes made beautiful little tapping sounds and she made a rhythm. She was a natural dancer. When she finished, everyone clapped. Breakfast was cold when they got to eating. They had been too busy watching Rue. Oats and honey. Haymitch played with Rue. Peeta washed the dishes while Katniss rocked in her chair next to the fire, discussing the plan for the day with him.

"I have bread rising at the bakery. I should get back there soon. I have two cakes to decorate too," Peeta said, scrubbing the oat pan.

"I can walk Rue over to school," Katniss said. She picked up some knitting and counted rows on her hands,"

"No, let me take Rue," Peeta replied. He had a stern look on his face.

"It's her first day, Peeta. I need to take her. I'll be fine. You can pick her up, that way we'll both have a chance. Meet you at the bakery right after. You go along now, I'll finish,"

Peeta gave a large sigh and smiled.

Katniss was left with Rue. Haymitch had left and she was cutting an apple for Rue's lunch bag as Rue sat on the counter next to her kicking her legs.

"I'm happy that I get to be in school now, Mama," Rue said, hugging her little knapsack. Katniss had finally let her use the embroidery needle and she had carefully embroidered her name in green onto the inside of the bag last week.

"Rue Everdeen Mellark"

It was a long name for such a tiny girl, but she was a quick learner and had learned to read at an early age. She had asked Peeta to write down her full name on a piece of paper so that she could embroider it correctly. Peeta loved when Rue would ask him to help her. He felt more like a father each time she did. He wanted to let her know that she could rely on him. When he'd get a flashback, Rue was the first to know; It was like she was a part of him. Even if he was in another room, Rue would come softly in with her slippered feet barely making a sound, and she'd comfort him. She'd crawl into his lap and stroke his face or put her tiny arms around him as far as they could reach. All the while she would always say,

"It's okay, I love you and you will be fine. I'll always be here,"

Peeta had the two best women on earth.

Rue and Katniss left the house. Rue had her knapsack on her back. She was ready for the world. She held her head up and scanned the path ahead. It wasn't very long into town. Katniss greeted a few people on the way, letting Rue show off her new shoes with pride. Rue picked some flowers along the path and put them into a small bouquet.

Once they reached the school, Rue hadn't realized that her mother would be leaving her alone with a room full of stranger for hours. She hadn't thought that far. It worried her to be away but she didn't want her mother to think that she was still a baby. She was five now. Five year olds went to school and didn't cry about it. She poked at her eyes, silently asking them not to fill with tears. Her knees shook but she tightened them. She was going to be brave.

Katniss was nervous. She didn't want her child; who was still a baby,to be going into a room full of complete strangers. She had started to get angry at Peeta for letting her go by herself. She wanted him to go with her. It was harder than she thought it'd be and she needed support from him, he was always able to take control of the situation. But she had told him to go to the bakery, though. She did it to herself.

Children were playing in front of the school. Climbing the fences, digging holes in the ground, and playing hop-scotch. Katniss remembered her days in school. She was never as care-free as these children were. Rue tightened her grasp. Katniss looked down at her daughter. Rue's face was a mixture of fear and bravery. Which was naturally the same thing, Katniss thought. She leaned down as far as she could and kissed Rue on the forehead.

"Be a good girl for me. Don't dig holes in the ground, okay?"

"Okay. Give this bow-kay to Daddy for the bakery. It would look nice next to the bread," Rue said as she handed Katniss the small bouquet that she had been holding. She had carefully arranged the flowers by color and added a few bits of sticks here and there for volume.

Katniss took the bouquet and nodded. Rue carefully strode to the front door of the school just as the bells rang. She smiled back at Katniss and disappeared into the small crowd of children rushing to get inside.

**"Alright** children, please take your seats on the floor," The teacher said, helping the children form a circle on a large rug in the middle of the school room. Rue was nervous about her new classroom, she didn't know any of the children in her class. As she sat in the circle, she scanned each child. Looking at their faces, taking them in. Wondering which ones she would befriend and which ones she would not.

Her eyes fell on a small boy that she had seen before. She looked up, trying to recall where he had been seen. Yes, he was a sheepish young boy that entered her father's bakery a few times. Getting a small loaf with a penny each time. She always watched him but he never approached her or made eye contact. She smiled at him but he would only look away. One time she offered him a cupcake from a batch that they made for themselves, he looked at it and ran out, leaving Rue feeling bad.

She hoped he would not run away from her now. As she sat in the circle, her legs crossed, she felt the buckle of her new shoes pushing against her skin. She looked at them, feeling happy. The new shoes still bringing fresh excitement to her. She ran her finger passed the seams on the sides, getting her fingers dirty with mud that had been on the trail into town.

"Rue, did you hear what I asked?" The teachers voice rang in.

"Um, no ma'am," she replied, feeling embarrassed, all the eyes in the circle on her.

"I asked you to tell the other students a little about yourself,"

Rue looked around. She had not watched any of the other students talking so she did not know how to start. The teacher waited for her to begin speaking.

"I…I'm Rue. I am 5 years old, my dad has a bakery with good bread and I get to eat it sometimes,"

Rue was interrupted by some of the children, who were saying things like, "Oh I love Peeta's bakery!" "Can your dad bring cupcakes for us?" and so on. She had never felt pride before but it was beginning to grow in her chest.

"Hush children, you have interrupted Rue," The teacher cut in, giving stern looks."You may continue, dear,"

"Well, I was done talking. Oh, I got new shoes for school too!" she added, standing and showing her shoes to the students. They all seemed impressed by her introduction and had other girls asking to touch the sparkling silver buckles of her shoes. By recess, Rue had learned the names of every one of her peers; all but the one who ran away from her cupcake.

She was swinging with her new friend, Cress. Cress had specifically asked Rue to try on her new shoes and when the girls learned that they wore the same size, decided it was destiny and instantly became best friends.

"Cress, do you know who that boy is over there? The one on the bench," Rue asked.

"Nope. I don't talk to boys, they have germs,"

Rue looked at Cress wide eyed.

"Germs? But my dad's a boy and I hug him all the time. I don't get germs from him,"

"It's only the small ones, like all the ones in our class. Eugh," she said, sticking out her tongue in disgust.

Rue didn't believe Cress but decided not to approach the mysterious boy in her presence, lest she decide they couldn't be friends anymore.

After school had finished, Rue sat on the bench in front, waiting for her mother to come and take her home. She had wanted to walk to the bakery, but Miss Fields, told her she could not without an adults company, and that she was unable to take her at the moment.

So she sat and waited, kicking her legs back and forth so she could see her new shoes. She caught glimpse of something moving in the bushes next to the playground. She got up to investigate when she heard sobbing. She quietly walked over to the sound and saw the mysterious boy sitting in the middle of them, crying and wiping his tears away, taking branches in his hands and breaking them into small pieces. Rue sat down next to him and smiled.

"Why are you crying?" she implored, looking into his tear stained face.

He sniffed and stared at her, not answering. Rue could not tell if he didn't know how to speak or he was just shy, like he was in the bakery.

She sat for a second then asked him again, making sure to be kind in her telling.

The boy continued to just look at her. Then he got out a notebook and pencil from his school bag and began scribbling something on a page. He held the page up to Rue, hope filling his little brown eyes.

Rue read,

"I cant talk I am deaf. I can only write and read,"

Rue looked from the page to the boy again and smiled. She quickly got out her notebook and wrote,

"I can read and write too My dad helpt me. Why are you sad?"

As soon as Rue showed the boy her writing, he smiled and let out a small laugh. His face lit up and he excitedly wrote on another page of paper.

"I was sad becus no one can read in scool. Only speak. Can you be my frend?"

Rue scribbled back,

" I will be your frend. We can write to eech other,"

Before the boy could write anything back, a woman walked over to him and he looked up. His mother had come to take him home. He got up to leave and Rue quickly wrote on another page and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What is your name?"

His mother spoke for him.

"Cinna," she said smiling, and they walked down the lane.

**Katniss** found a small glass and filled it with water. She set the bouquet in it and put it on a table in the front of the bakery.

She walked behind the counter and into the back kitchen. Peeta hadn't heard her enter and was kneading dough. She watched him. His full concentration was on soft mound. His arms were as strong as ever, his muscles tightening and relaxing in strides. He knew every which way to move them. He carefully shaped the dough with the edges of his hands. Forming it into a perfect loaf. He took a knife and drew lines on the top, making intricate swirls and flowers. Everyone in 12 looked forward to seeing the art painted into the loaves in the bakery window each morning. The bread he made was like no other. Even better than when his father ran the bakery, some say. Katniss loved watching him in there. He could be himself; his better self. He was so calm when he baked. Katniss wished she could stop time and watch him knead bread for all of eternity.

He turned and saw her.

"I knew you were watching me,"

"You didn't," Katniss reddened, moving back out of the doorway.

"Been married to you for twenty years; I know that you come in here all quiet like. Stalking me like your prey in the woods, just so you can watch me in that doorway,"

Katniss's face burned, but she gave him a smirk. He came up to her and took her hand, kissing it lightly.

"How do you think those cakes look? They wanted forget-me-nots on that one. I may have darkened the icing too much,"

"They're perfect," Katniss said, looking over from his arms and eying the cakes, "I could eat both of them,"

Peeta chuckled, "Bet you could, too,"

Katniss gave him a look and a playful slap on the arm.

"The other one has…primroses on it," he said hesitantly.

"It's okay," she said. A picture of Prim fluttered through her mind. She was always a child in her dreams. She always would be. Katniss pushed Prim's face out of her mind. She picked up some deserts and her vision began to blur. She suddenly felt dizzy and went back into the front of the bakery quickly in order to put the deserts in the window. Something began to aggravate her and she walked to and fro, holding her breath. The morning had already been exhausting and her knees began to burn with heaviness.

Prim whispered in her thoughts, telling her too many things at once. She felt disoriented and irritation burned in her cheeks. Katniss felt a pain in her side. It hurt more than seeing Prim in her mind. She walked to a chair and sat down. She got back up and walked around again, biting her lip. She wasn't going to to call for Peeta.

It was just an ache from remembering Prim the whole morning. She held her breath and began organizing breads into baskets and wiped off the tables for customers. They would open in fifteen minutes, letting the early risers in to catch the aroma that clung to the air with the freshness of morning. Katniss continued to rub the sides of her abdomen that burned, but after another striking pain, she didn't have the strength to be stubborn.

"Peeta!" she yelled, clutching the back of a chair.

Peeta hadn't even heard the last part of his name piercing through the bakery before he entered the room. Katniss was leaning against the wall holding air in her cheeks. He lifted her into his arms. She gasped and he could feel her body tighten. He touched her face, her neck. She was on fire.

"It's time," She said, looking into his eyes.

**There** had been yelling for over an hour with no progress. The baby still hadn't come yet. Katniss had decided on having the baby at home again, in the comfort of her own bedroom. Besides, there wasn't really a hospital in 12. They hadn't needed one. The population was low; and if they needed intense medical care, they would be flown out via helicopter. The room was dim and the window was open. The curtains danced to the breeze. Katniss was grabbing the sheets of her bed, trying to tear them.

A young woman sat in a chair with a bowl of towels and herbal jars. Dorothy Sae. Katniss had known her for most of her life. Dorothy would come with her grandmother, Greasy Sae. She remembered playing with Katniss in the winter while her grandmother cooked. They sat in front of the fire and played hand games and pick-up sticks. She always adored Katniss, and now she was delivering her baby. Dorothy was thought to be mentally challenged as a child. She had only acted as such to get food from the peacekeepers back then.

. She was in fact a bright child, and after moving back to district 12 with her mother, decided that she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up. She had been away in the capitol to get a good education. Six years later, she was back in 12; with a doctors license and a whole life ahead of her. It seemed a remarkable thing that the girl everyone thought was simple-minded, ended up being successful. Katniss loved Dorothy, she always secretly pretended that Dorothy was Prim. All grown up with a medical career, helping people, being the brave one.

"Just take deep breaths, dear. You'll use up all your energy by yelling so much," Dorothy explained, being as gentle as she could, for Katniss was known to get a bit hostile while in labor.

It was known around town that Katniss threw a vase at the midwife's head that delivered Rue. She needed stitches afterward and Katniss could never get herself to apologize, so she avoided her at all costs.

"I'm trying!" Katniss yelled. Her face was blood red and her hair stuck to her cheeks.

Dorothy took a cold towel and put it to Katniss's forehead.

"There, dear,"

Katniss bit her bottom lip, she wanted this all to end. This baby had been so much harder to carry than Rue. It continuously kicked her in the worst places, her feet stayed swollen the whole nine months, and she was always hungry. She knew that she gained at least fifteen pounds not including the baby. She was always dizzy and tired. She wasn't even able to hunt in the early months like she did with Rue. They both decided on letting the gender be a surprise, so Katniss knit neutral colored clothing.

Oatmeal and heather colored blankets lay in a basket on the floor, ready to warm a baby.

** In** the kitchen, Peeta walked mindlessly in circles. He had been exceptionally nervous because the baby was coming early. It wasn't anything to worry about, Dorothy mentioned, but he was nonetheless overwrought. He needed some masculine support in the whole thing. He rung up Haymitch but he was on his way to the train station to pick up Effie. She had been visiting friends in the Capitol for a few weeks. He left note to tell them to come over as soon as they reached home.

Hours seemed to pass.

He walked to the family room to sit in the chair. The phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yes, um. Is this the Mellark residence?"

"Erm, yes,"

"I believe your daughter, Rue has been sitting on the bench outside waiting to be picked up from school for a good hour now. I walked her to the bakery and no one was there, just wanted to make sure…"

Rue!

Before he could hear the rest of the woman's sentence, he exclaimed,

"I am coming right now,"

He went to the door and put his shoes on to leave. He heard Katniss scream from above. His heart pounded.

He strode as quick as he could down the path to town. As he walked up to the school, Rue was nowhere to be found. There didn't seem to be anyone around either. He searched for open doors to the school with no success. His heart began to pound faster. Where did she go? The teachers wouldn't have left without knowing she was picked up. Maybe someone from town took her home. Maybe she walked home herself, she knew the way. He began walking down the path from whence he came. Once he reached home, he found a car outside. It wasn't familiar, but looked to be from the capitol. He ran inside and found Rue taking her shoes off and handing them to an older woman, who seemed to be fascinated by the young girls excitement.

"Mrs. Everdeen?"

Mrs. Everdeen looked up at Peeta.

"I…I brought Rue home. I was coming into town when I spotted a little girl at the school, dancing in the grass. She looked like Pri- Katniss at her age,"

She almost whispered the latter part of her sentence.

Rue ran to her arms and sat in her lap. She wasn't shy and always talked to people, even strangers. Which Katniss had to remind her on several occasions not to do.

"Daddy, she said she's my grandmother! What's a grandmother?"

Peeta and Mrs. Everdeen tensed. They had not been on the best of terms with her in the past. She had stayed away from 12 for ten years after Prim died. Katniss begged her to visit, but she never did. Katniss was angry with her for years. She acted like both of her daughters died, it wasn't fair to make Katniss grieve alone. Prim wasn't only Mrs. Everdeen's daughter, she was Katniss's sister. Sometimes sisters' love was different than a mothers. All those years, Katniss felt alone. Her mother shut her out just like she did when Prim was alive. She thought that she would never change. She had missed the birth of Rue but showed up a few weeks later. They sat and talked. They sat and grieved. Mrs. Everdeen swore she would never leave again. Then she did. Weeks after she went, Katniss got a letter,

"I'm sorry Katniss. Rue looks like Prim too much. It hurts me everyday. I can't do this anymore. I don't expect you to forgive me again, since you've already done so many times. -Mom"

Katniss never told Peeta that she lay in her bed at night with tears in her eyes. Tears of missing her mother. So when Mrs. Everdeen showed up at their house that day, hours before the birth of their second child, Peeta could only worry about what Katniss would say to her.

"A grandmother is someone who is your mom or dad's mother. Grandmothers never leave their grandchildren," Peeta shot a glance at Mrs. Everdeen with this and she let out a sigh.

"Rue dear, go get your grandmother a glass of water, she's had a long journey," Mrs. Everdeen said.

Peeta didn't want to stay and talk to Mrs. Everdeen, he wanted to check on Katniss. He hadn't heard her since he came back. He was angry at her for showing up at such an inconvenient time.

"Rue, I'll get the glass. You go pick some flowers in the garden for Mom okay?"

Rue nodded and skipped out into the back, closing the door after her.

Peeta looked at Mrs. Everdeen.

"Why are you here?" he asked, "You should know that Katniss is in labor right now with our second child,"

Mrs. Everdeen smiled.

"I know. That's why I came. I know Katniss is calling for me. A mother knows the silent cries from their children. I heard her this morning, I knew I had to come this time and for good,"

Peeta's countenance softened. Somehow, he knew she was telling the truth this time.

They heard a muffled voice coming from upstairs.

Dorothy walked down a few steps and looked as white as a sheet.

"Um, I need to call for the doctor. I need assistance," she was wringing her hands and her voice was strained.

Mrs. Everdeen and Peeta stood as soon as they heard Dorothy. Peeta's stomach was falling.

I'm a doctor, let me see my daughter," She looked at Peeta.

"Don't worry dear, Katniss will be alright,"

She ran up the stairs with Dorothy, leaving Peeta in the room himself.

** Katniss** was tired and the room was hot. Sweat beaded down her face and her mouth was dry. She wanted everything to be over. She pulled at the sheets on her bed out of pain. Her muscles began to tire and she wanted to sleep. She thought she was dreaming as she saw her mother standing in the doorway. As her figure got closer, Katniss reached out to touch her. Mrs. Everdeen crouched next to Katniss and put a cool hand on her face. Katniss wasn't angry at seeing her mother's face. She couldn't think of much now and besides wanting Peeta next to her, she couldn't want anyone else but her mother to be helping her deliver this child.

"Katniss. I'm here," she whispered.

"Mom," was all Katniss answered.

Dorothy was standing with her hand covering her mouth anxiously worrying about Katniss being much too tired so early in her delivery process. She turned to Mrs. Everdeen, hoping she would know what to do.

"Don't worry, Dorothy. Sometimes exhaustion comes early in labor. She needs to sit up and get some blood flowing through her veins.

Mrs. Everdeen washed Katniss's face with a cool rag and opened the window wide, letting in a fresh breeze of autumn air. She heard Rue singing to herself in the garden below while she was picking flowers. She didn't want Rue to hear her mother in pain so she shut the windows. Dorothy helped Katniss sit up and take some water.

"Did you tell her, that she's getting a brother or sister?" Mrs. Everdeen asked, taking a new rag from Dorothy and laying it on Katniss's head.

"She's asked why I've gotten so fat," Katniss laughed gently, "Peeta was going to explain it to her before it got here," She managed to add.

"Well, he better get out there," Mrs. Everdeen replied.

"Why hasn't it come yet?" Katniss asked, she looked at her mother intensely.

"Sometimes it takes longer than a few hours, darling. You're alright. Prim took two days,"

Katniss sighed at the mention and felt a small contraction and held her breath as not to scream.

**Peeta** sat in the family room, fumbling with his hands. He was trying to hold back a flashback. The anxiety rose and he felt his palms get slippery. He closed his eyes and thought of everything good in his life right now. Rue, Katniss, the bakery, the new baby coming. He took a deep breath and went to the kitchen. He got out a loaf of dough from the oven and turned it out onto the counter; floured his hands and began to knead it. Instead of his normal rhythm, he squeezed the dough through his fingers and pulled it like taffy.

It began to break apart and crumble. He smoothed it into an uneven sphere and put it into a baking pan and put it into the oven. As he was washing his hands in the sink, he watched Rue tie the flowers she picked together with the pink ribbon from her hair. He smiled and went out to the back and sat on the step right outside the door.

"Hey darling, let me see those flowers," he said, holding his arms out so that Rue could sit in his lap.

She put them up to his face

"Smell them, daddy. Don't they smell nice?"

Peeta took the bouquet and looked at it.

"Such a beautiful bouquet, Rue. Think mom's gonna like it?"

"Yep. Where is mommy?" Rue asked, looking up at Peeta with wondering eyes.

"Well, here's the thing," Peeta began, scratching his prickly chin.

"Your mom's having a baby, sweetheart," came Haymitch's voice from the door. Peeta turned to look at Haymitch.

"Haymitch, I was getting to that, I don't want to shock her," he said.

Rue looked confused and her eyes grew dark.

"Mommy is getting a new baby?" she asked.

"Well, yes. Sort of. Yeah," Peeta stuttered. He didn't really know how to explain the whole thing to a five year old, and the thought made him blush.

Haymitch chuckled and sat next to Peeta on the stair, grabbing Rue out of his hold and setting her on his knee, turning back to the kitchen.

"Eff, get us a vase of water, sweetheart's picked some gorgeous flowers and they need to be displayed properly,"

He moved some stray hairs from her face and smiled.

"See Rue, that's why your mom's been so big in the stomach lately. She's got a baby in there, happens sometimes with women. Now it's saying 'Hey world I want to come out now,' so it's on its way,"

Rue studied his face to see if he was joking with her, and since he didn't smirk or laugh afterward, she concluded that he was telling her the truth. She didn't quite understand how it worked but decided to accept it.

"Well, when exactly is it coming?"

"Depends, could be five minutes could be five hours. You gotta just wait and see,"

Rue jumped off Haymitch's lap to greet Effie, who had just come through the door. She figured that she should look presentable to a new baby so put on some feathered eyelashes and a pink wig, she was rooting for another girl.

"Auntie Effie!" Rue exclaimed, jumping up and wanting Effie to pick her up, the baby habit still there. Effie hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Oh darling, it is so nice to see you. You have gotten so big! And gorgeous," She turned to Peeta, "How's Katniss, dear?"

"She's uh, fine I think. Midwife's with her, and her mom came,"

Haymitch and Effie arched their eyebrows, both saying, "Mrs. Everdeen?"

Peeta nodded, "Yeah, she apologized. I think she means it this time. She's helping upstairs,"

They all went to the kitchen and sat around the table. Peeta poured water for Haymitch and Effie and got his warm bread from the oven. He began to peel the potatoes and squash from the garden and make it into stew.

"Mmm, may we have some slices of bread when it's cooled?" Effie asked excitedly.

"Of course," Peeta replied, smiling to hide the anxiety he felt about the day. Rue ran up to the bread Peeta made and smelled it,

"It smells so nice, daddy. You always make the best bread," she said, hugging his legs. He lifted her up into his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She squirmed out of his arms and took the plate of sliced bread over to Effie.

"Here Eff, try it," she said, mimicking Haymitch's nickname for Effie.

"Thank you dear," she said with a chuckle.

A muffled yell came from the upstairs bedroom. Rue's eye got wide and she looked at Peeta.

"Mommy isn't dying is she?" she asked, running up to Peeta and putting her face into his stomach.

"Mom isn't dying, darling. It's just a little..hard for her, you know, babies are big and all,"

Rue looked up at him, worry still in her eyes.

**The** sun was setting soon and Katniss was still in labor. Rue had fallen asleep on the couch from waiting. Peeta, Haymitch, and Effie were in the kitchen, sitting around the table. Quiet and waiting for something to happen. Peeta finally got up,

"I'm going to ask if every thing's alright,"

When he reached his bedroom door, he knocked gently. Mrs. Everdeen came to the door and peeked out.

"Peeta, she's fine. It's taken a bit longer than usual but her contractions are four minutes apart. It's going to happen any second,"

"Ok, I have supper for you, it's keeping warm in the oven whenever you need it,"

"Thank you, Peeta," she replied, smiling.

Peeta walked downstairs and told Effie and Haymitch the small news. They all sat up straight and waited, kicking around dust bunnies from the floor and tapping on the table. Peeta wondered if this was how all deliveries went. When Rue was born, it was so quick, he hardly had time to think.

A scream. A cry.

Peeta stood quickly and ran to the door, then he ran back.

"Wait, they bring the baby out right? To show everyone?"

Haymitch laughed.

"You just sit tight, Peeta. Mrs. Everdeen will come down in time. You remember with Rue, you almost knocked over the midwife, barging through the door to see her. Then you almost fainted with the blood and..stuff,"

"Oh god don't remind me," Peeta said, closing his eyes tight with the memory.

A few minutes passed and Mrs. Everdeen was down the stairs. She smiled and looked at Peeta.

"A boy,"

Peeta laughed and jumped.

"Can I see him now?" he asked.

"Well, just a minute,"

Mrs. Everdeen went back upstairs to make sure it was safe for everyone to come into the room.

Haymitch went up to Rue, who lie sleeping on the couch.

"Hey, sweetheart, you got yourself a brother. Let's go meet him, shall we?"

Rue was up in a second, rubbing her eyes and laughing and squealing. Haymitch might have been old, but he wasn't too old to carry little Rue up the stairs. A little lamp glowed on the night stand, and the feeling of a new baby was in the air. Katniss was up and holding a bundle, smiling at Rue, who had jumped out of Haymitch's arms and ran over to the bed, looking at the baby that lay in Katniss's arms. His face was peaceful and his eyes were closed. He was making cooing noises.

"What color are his eyes?" Peeta asked.

"Not sure, you can't really tell the first few weeks, but they look a little grey, like Katniss's," Mrs. Everdeen said.

Before the minute was over, everyone was leaning over Katniss to get a look at the baby.

"I think he already looks like a little gentleman," Effie said, tickling his cheek. "Even though I was sure it was going to be another little girl,"

Peeta was as bright as the sun when he laid eyes on his newborn son. He was proud to have Rue as a daughter, but to a father, there was nothing quite like having a son. He sat on the bed next to Katniss and felt the little gold hairs on his head. Katniss leaned towards him, handing him the baby. Peeta looked at her; she had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was stuck to the sides of her face from so much exhaustion. She looked as through she'd been through a week in the arena back in the Hunger Games. She was still the most beautiful thing on earth to him, dark circles and all. He gently took the baby from her and held him close. Feeling the soft blankets warmed by the baby's presence. He stood and walked around with the baby, as if feeling the weight of him would give him an estimation of his personality. Everyone watched him.

"Your turn, Peeta. Name him," Katniss said, trying to sound more energetic than she felt.

Peeta went to the window, looking out into the sunset, watching the sun paint his favorite colors onto the clouds. He looked down at the baby, and at his fingers. There were remnants of dough around his fingertips. Rye dough.

"Rye," he said. He turned around to face everyone's reactions.

"Rye because it's resilient and hardy, and we grow it in the autumn to get a good summer harvest for the following year. He'll grow just as fast as the crops. And be talking and walking before we bring in the harvest,"

Katniss smiled. She wondered if he had worked months on the right name, choosing one for both a boy and a girl. Just waiting to use either. Finding something with meaning. Had it come to him just then? He said the words so naturally, it must have flowed straight from the soul. Peeta may have been altered in the brain long ago, but he wasn't altered in the heart. She had seen the love on his face when he looked at her, and Rue, and now their new son. All Katniss knew was that if she had to go back and do it all again, she would. For him. She was glad he didn't name something that would stab her every time she heard or said it.

Like Finnick…Cinna..She had been so rash in naming Rue. The name slipped out so quickly, she didn't think it right to go back and say she didn't mean to name her that. But then again, she was glad that she didn't say Primrose. She wouldn't be able to live with it. She'd have to give her daughter a nickname that didn't have anything to do with Primrose in it. Rue was hard enough to say. Besides, the Rue from her youth would have been overjoiced to have such a beautiful girl names after her, Katniss would tell herself.

"Its a lovely name, Peeta," she said. Everyone murmured in agreement.

The baby began to cry and Peeta handed him back to Katniss. He wanted his dinner.

Haymitch and Effie left soon after, it was late and they were off to rest. They'd be back in the morning with gifts, no doubt. Neighbors would be visiting too. There weren't many younger couples in 12 still having children, and everyone ached to see a young face. By the time he was two months old, he would probably know everyone in town. Dorothy finished cleaning up things in the room and packed her little doctor bag and kissed the baby, and Katniss on the forehead before she left. Mrs. Everdeen stayed quiet in the chair next to Katniss's bed, waiting to get a free moment with her daughter. After Peeta took Rue in to bed, Mrs Everdeen began to speak.

"Katniss, please forgive me,"

Katniss did not answer for some time.

"Family always forgives, mom," she laid the baby down next to her and leaned over to hug her mother, letting tears fall.

"I know I've been horrible to you most of my life. It's only because I love you so much, and I always worry I'm going to lose you like I did Prim. But I see how strong you are. I was jealous. I wanted to be like you, always there for Prim. Talking to her, hunting for dinner, making sure we were all fed and clothed. Volunteering for her. Being the one that lived. I was jealous,"

Katniss's tears ran in streams.

"It's okay mom. I know. Just don't leave this time, okay? We have a spare room, please let us put it to good use. I miss you, mom. I need you to help me raise the kids. Be a grandmother to them. Especially Rue. She's a special one, just like her father. Gentle. Sweet. Compassionate. Caring. Nothing that I ever was. Just be here for me, and her, and little Rye, and Peeta,"

Mrs. Everdeen said nothing, she only nodded and wiped her tears. Rising and kissing Katniss on the forehead before leaving the room. Peeta came in a few minutes later, lying down on the bed next the baby and whispering to him.

"My mom's staying," Katniss said.

Peeta looked up at her. "Good,"

The baby began to move and fuss, so Katniss picked him up and started to sing quietly to him. Peeta climbed into the bed and laid his head on her shoulder, listening to the tune.

_"…Under the willow, _

_A bed of grass,_

_A soft green pillow….."_

Peeta whispered into Rye's little ear,

"You love me, real or not real?"

Katniss chuckled softly.

"I think he'd say real, Peeta,"

Peeta smiled and turned out the light.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my fic! I may or may not do another chapter. Let me know if you think I should.

_~Disclaimer: I Do not own any of the characters related to the Hunger Games Trilogy~_


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